MLA Statement on Content Warnings
The Executive Council, working with a draft from the MLA Committee on Disability Issues in the Profession, approved the following statement in October 2017.
In the light of pervasive misinformation about and politicization of the nature and objectives of content warnings in classroom spaces, the MLA would like to clarify the usage of such warnings as a matter of pedagogical accessibility and professional ethics. Used at the discretion of the instructor, content warnings serve as advance notification of difficult material (whether assigned on the syllabus, presented in the classroom itself, or likely to arise during specific discussions, including academic conference sessions). Such notification can enable participants to work effectively with the material. Content warnings should not serve the purpose of avoiding challenging or controversial content. Instead, they should enable participants to appropriately structure their own individual strategy for engagement. Far from censoring material, such notifications should aim to cultivate a deeper interaction with texts and media.